Combination garter supporter and back and abdomen supporting means



Aug. 21, 1963 ROCKER 3,101,718

COMBINATION'CEARTER SUPPORTER AND BACK AND ABDOMEN SUPPORTING MEANS Filed May 5, 1961 IN V EN TOR. P4044 fiumPoc/(m ArroewEYs United States Patent 3,101,718 COMBINATION GARTER SUPPORTER AND BACK AND ABDOMEN SUPPORTING MEANS Paula Blatt Rocker, Cleveland Heights, Ohio Nu Vogue Creations, 1426 W. 3rd St., Cleveland, Ohio) Filed May 5, 1961, Ser. No. 108,123 4 Claims. ((Cl. 128520) This invention relates primarily to the general art of maternity garments and, more specifically, is for a combination of garter supporter, back support and abdomensupporting means.

The present form of garment is an improvement upon those shown in my former Patents No. 2,477,828, August 2, 1949, and No. 2,750,597, June 19, 1956.

One object of the present invention is to devise an improved means for supporting from the shoulders of the wearer the weight or pull of the stockings and garters so as to relieve her from such strain in the waist region during the period of pregnancy.

Another object is to provide means of supporting engagement with the sacroiliac region of the wearers body, such engagement being promoted by the arrangement and action of the garter-supporting means.

Another object is to devise an abdomen-supporting means that can be removably attached to the garment so that the garment might be used either with or without the abdomen-supporting means.

Another object is to devise such a combination garment in which the garter-supporting means is adjustable according to different sizes of the wearers bodies and in which any one of different sizes of abdomen-supporting means might be selected for attachment to the garment for use therewith in any given case.

Thus the present invention contemplates the provision of a garment with its three functions, as just mentioned, all of which can be employed at the same time including the abdomen-supporting means, or in which the abdomen supporting means might be omitted.

Another object is to provide such a garment in which the shoulder straps are attached in such manner as not to interfere with the performance of the several functions as above mentioned, and so as to provide the greatest possible efiiciency and comfont.

Other objects will appear from the following description and claims when considered together with the accompanying drawing.

FIG. 1 illustrates the position of the present garment when in use upon the body of the wearer;

FIG. 2 is a side view thereof;

F IG. 3 is a distended pantial view illustnating the manner of attaching the abdomen-supporting band;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged partial view of the same.

The wide longitudinally elastic band 1 is adapted to extend about the rear of the wearers waist and forwardly and downwardly about the sides of her thighs so as to terminate at its two ends at approximately the middle of her thighs or slightly forward of the middle thereof. The forward ends 1a and 1b of the member 1 are cut at an angle of approximately forty-five degrees and, when the garment is in normal position of use, will extend downwardly and forwardly; and these ends have attached at the corners thereof the longitudinally elastic garters G with the usual means of adjustment for length. The two garters G, in each case, will extend in a substantially vertical direction and parallel to each other so as to exert straight-line pull upon the stockings and thereby preclude any twisting of the stockings. By virtue of this structure and arrangement, the front garter, in each instance, virtually becomes a continuation of the band 1.

The wide band 4 is sewed with double stitching 4a to the outside of the band 1 along its lower downwardly tapering end edge and also along a short part of the two vertical side edges of the band 4, these two overlapping bands 1 and 4 being otherwise free of each other. The material of the band 4 has stretch in only the vertical direction and, since the band 1 has only horizontal stretch when in position of use, the overlapping portions of these two bands will be of a rigid nature as a result of these two opposite stretches cancelling each other in the region of their overlapping arrangement. This rigid portion is adapted for engagement with the sacroiliac region of the wearers body so as to serve as an effective means of support therefor. I

The longitudinally elastic shoulder straps 5 and 6 are attached at the one end, in each case, to the upper corner edge portion of the band 4 and at the other end, in each case, between the overlapping portions of the band 1 and the side edges of the band 4. The shoulder straps 5 and 6 are each adjustable as to length, as indicated in a general way at 7 and 8, according to the size of the wearer.

Between the side overlapping portions of the bands 1 and 4 I have provided the pockets 9 and 10', open at their upper ends, so as to be adapted to receive and hold the downwardly projecting hook portions 11 and 12, respectively. This hook portion, in each instance, is part of an old fastening member 13 and 14- which have their eye portions engaged by the loops 15 and 16 at the upper end corners of the abdomen-supporting longitudinally elastic Wide band -17. The band 17 is thus adapted to extend from the rear of the garment ab out the thighs of the wearer and downwardly and forwardly so as to have eifective supporting engagement beneath the abdomen. The inner surfaceof the front middle part of the band 17 has an auxiliary reinforcement attached thereto, as at 17a, so as to increase the effectiveness of the engagement of this abdomen-supporting means.

The downward and forward extension of the band 17 and its snug engagement about the thighs of the wearer serve also to maintain the back-engaging par-t of this garment in firm and effective position; and likewise the abdomen-supporting band r17, when used, will have the same effect. Thus the hack-engaging part of this garment will contribute support to the sacroiliac region of the wearers body and will alford a combined sensation of security and comfort in the adjacent region of the wearers back. The abdomen-supporting means will also produce the same sensation when worn by women during pregnmcy; and this garment might be worn also by men who have dropped stomachs due to flabby condition of the muscles in this region of the body, or by women or men during the period of post-operation.

This garment will improve the posture of the wearer and will relieve fatigue. The body of the wearer in the region of the waist and thighs will be molded in correct form and, at the same time, this garment will freely respond and conform itself to any movement of the wearers body. As above stated, the substantially straight upward pull of the garters will prevent the stockings from becoming twisted and consequently they will be held in smooth condition at all times without wrinkling. The supporting of the garment upon the wearers shoulders serves to relieve the waist and abdominal region of the wearers body of the pull that is exerted by the garters; and this is especially advantageous in the case of elastic stockings which of course exert substantially greater pull upon the garters.

It will be observed that the two ends of each of the shoulder straps 5 and 6 are attached to the top and bottom part of the b ack-engaging portion of the garment and that these points of attachment are approximately directly below the shoulders of the wearer and hence at the rear part of the garment, with the result that the shoulder straps serve not only in holding the back-engaging portion in effective position but also suspend the Weight and tension of the entire garment in a most effective and comfortable manner and without interfering with the positions of the garter band and the abdomen-supporting band. That is to say, the points of attachment of the shoulder straps are so located in the present form of garment as to serve their own primary function of support in a most efficient manner and to contribute also to the functioning of the other parts of the garment, with the result that there is obtained a highly desirable combined effect.

It is believed that, with the above disclosure, other practical advantages will suggest themselves to those who are familiar with .the art to which this invention relates; and it is to be understood that the present form of disclosure is merely for the purpose of illustration and that there might be devised various modifications thereof without departing from the spirit of my invention as herein set forth and claimed.

What i claim is:

1. A combination garter Suspender, back support and abdomen-supporting means, comprising a substantially rectangular back-engaging member adapted to occupy a position in engagement with the lower part of the wearers spinal column and having longitudinally elastic portions extending downwardly and forwardly from only the lower opposite corner portions of said back-engaging member for engagement about the sides of the thighs of the wearers body, said portions having free forward ends with garters attached thereto so as to firmly maintain said back-engaging member in effective position, a pair of elastic shoulder-engaging supporting straps each extending upwardly from and having its ends attached to the corresponding upper and lower corners, respectively, of said back-engaging member so as to co-operate in maintaining said back-engaging member in effective position, and an abdomen-supporting band having two ends provided with means of attachment to only the lower part of said backengaging member and adapted to extend about the hip region and beneath the abdomen of the wearers body.

2. The same structure as recited in claim 1 hereof and in which said back-engaging member has an upper part with only vertical stretch and a lower substantially rigid part corresponding to the sacroiliac region of the wearers body.

3. A garment comprising a substantially rectangular back-engaging member having its lower end of downwardly tapered form for positioning in the sacroiliac region of the body of the wearer, said member consisting of material having originally only one-way stretch corresponding to the vertical direction when in position of use upon the body of the wearer, a band of longitudinally elastic material extending laterally across and attached to the lower tapered part of said back-engaging member so as to provide a substantially rigid laminated portion in the sacroiliac region, said band being otherwise unattached and extending downwardly and forwardly from said backengaging member for engagement about the sides of the thighs of the wearers body and having free forward ends with garters attached thereto, and a pair of longitudinally elastic shoulder-engaging supporting straps each extending from and having its ends attached to the corresponding upper and lower parts, respectively, of said back-engaging member.

4. The same structure as recited in claim 3 hereof and in which said-band has forwardly and down-wardly inclined end edges with front and rear corners at each end thereof when in position of use upon the body of the wearer and having front and rear garters attached to said front and rear corners, respectively, thereof so as to extend downwardly in substantially parallel vertical arrangement when in position of use upon the body.

References (liter! in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,164,333 Callahan ec. 14, 1915 2,345,760 Lunney Apr. 4, 194 r 2,750,597 Bla-tt June 19, 1956 2,862,501 Blatt Dec. 2, 1958 2,891,550 Blatt June 23, 1959 

1. A COMBINATION GARTER SUSPENDER, BACK SUPPORT AND ABDOMEN-SUPPORTING MEANS, COMPRISING A SUBSTANTIALLY RECTANGULAR BACK-ENGAGING MEMBER ADAPTED TO OCCUPY A POSITION IN ENGAGEMENT WITH THE LOWER PART OF THE WEARER''S SPINAL COLUMN AND HAVING LONGITUDINALLY ELASTIC PORTIONS EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY AND FORWARDLY FROM ONLY THE LOWER OPPOSITE CORNER PORTIONS OF SAID BACK-ENGAGING MEMBER FOR ENGAGEMENT ABOUT THE SIDES OF THE THIGHS OF THE WEARER''S BODY, SAID PORTIONS HAVING FREE FORWARD ENDS WITH GARTERS ATTACHED THERETO SO AS TO FIRMLY MAINTAIN SAID BACK-ENGAGING MEMBER IN EFFECTIVE POSITION, A PAIR OF ELASTIC SHOULDER-ENGAGING SUPPORTING STRAPS EACH EXTENDING UPWARDLY FROM AND HAVING ITS ENDS ATTACHED TO THE CORRESPONDING UPPER AND LOWER CORNERS, RESPECTIVELY, OF SAID BACK-ENGAGING MEMBER SO AS TO CO-OPERATE IN MAINTAINING SAID BACK-ENGAGING MEMBER IN EFFECTIVE POSITION, AND AN ABDOMEN-SUPPORTING BAND HAVING TWO ENDS PROVIDED WITH MEANS FOR ATTACHMENT TO ONLY THE LOWER PART OF SAID BACKENGAGING MEMBER AND ADAPTED TO EXTEND ABOUT THE HIP REGION AND BENEATH THE ABDOMEN OF THE WEARER''S BODY. 